In a significant number of stairlift installations, the lower end of the stairlift rail must overhang, or extend a significant distance beyond and below, the first step of the staircase, to permit the stairlift carriage and footrest to terminate sufficiently closely to the floor, at the base of the staircase, to allow a stairlift user to easily mount, and dismount from, the stairlift. Consequently, if there are one or more doorways positioned adjacent the bottom of the staircase, the lower end of the rail will inevitably obstruct the opening and closing of doors; or otherwise obstruct normal day-to-day activity within the home.
To address this problem, the traditional solution has been to hinge the lower section of rail so that, when the stairlift is not in use, the lower end of the rail may be displaced into a position in which no obstruction is caused. An example of such a hinge is described in published International Patent Application No. WO 97/26207. An alternative arrangement, in which the lower end of the rail is displaced longitudinally with respect to the main rail section, is described in our UK Patent 2 360 994.
Both forms of prior art apparatus, referred to above, are relatively costly to manufacture and implement. They also add bulk and detract, aesthetically, from a stair lift installation. Further, conscious human intervention is typically required to ensure that, when the stairlift is not in operation, the lower rail section is displaced out of its operating position in which it may cause an obstruction.
It is an object of this invention to provide a stairlift installation which will go at least some way in addressing the aforementioned problems; or which will at least provide a novel and useful alternative.